Diverging Paths
by canaryhowl
Summary: A mysterious girl arrives in Gotham, her very presence threatening to destroy Artemis's carefully constructed life as a hero. The Shadows are coming for the girl, and now it is time for them to reclaim Artemis as well. No OC's
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: There are no OC's in this story, only DC characters. The mystery girl in this chapter has never appeared in the Young Justice cartoon, so the first person who figures out her identity gets to choose another character or group of characters to appear in the story. It can be anyone, hero or villain, so you can choose any of your favorite characters. PM or review. The entire Team will appear later, so don't worry.

Pairings:

Established- Conner/M'Gann

Developing- Wally/Artemis, Robin/Zatanna, Kaldur/Rocket?

Chapter One: Firsts

Eight Years Ago:

Artemis sat cross-legged next to her sister, who was four years older and nearly a foot taller than her. Today, they were sparring. Their father had placed an assortment of weapons in front of the two girls, ranging from swords to poison-laced darts. Her sister was to choose first, and she lingered between the poison darts and the sai, before finally deciding on sai. She twirled them around her fingers gingerly, and Artemis gazed at her sister reverently. Now it was her turn to choose a weapon.

No one said a word, but Artemis felt two pairs of eyes boring into her. She wanted desperately to choose the right weapon and to impress her family. She looked at the sai, but if she couldn't copy her sister, so instead, she grabbed the bow and quiver that sat on the ground near the darts. While their dad had his sports themed weapons, their mom's primary weapon was the bow and arrow. She was a magnificent huntress, and Artemis knew that she could be the same.

As she held the bow and quiver, Artemis realized she had made a mistake. Her sister was stifling a laugh, and her dad was just shaking his head. "Art, you can't use a bow and arrow in here." Her dad gestured around the dojo. "You're practicing close range combat. Archery is only good for long range."

Artemis nodded, even though she was sure she could make it work for short range too. Her dad took the bow away and placed a small dagger in her hands. It was almost like a hunting knife, with a sharp point and a jagged, serrated side. The handle was large and chunky, and the blade felt odd in her small hands. She shook her head and said, "No, I want the bow and arrows."

Sighing, her dad wrapped his sturdy, beefy hands around hers. He roughly guided her dagger wielding hand forward into a jab and a swift side slice. "See, Artemis, it's perfect for close combat."

Her sister nodded. "I would kill you in one move if tried to use a bow against my sai."

Artemis conceded, and the two sisters readied themselves for battle. The older girl had all of the advantages: size, speed, strength, experience. No matter what weapon she chose, Artemis knew she would lose.

"Go!" Their father shouted, and the girls sprinted towards each other, weapons drawn.

* * *

><p>Present Day:<p>

Artemis walked briskly towards the entrance of her worn-down apartment building. Everyday, the school bus would let her off directly in front of the building because it was in such a bad neighborhood, but five seconds was enough time for the neighbors to see her walk by in her fancy private school uniform. She wasn't the most liked person in the neighborhood, but she didn't need many friends; she had the Team and a couple girls at school.

Gotham Academy had much better academics than her old school, but the school day was an hour longer, which meant five hours of extra schoolwork a week, twenty two in an average month. It was a Friday, so she was finally done with school for the week. She just needed to get herself ready for the weekend at the cave and leave. As she walked up the steps to her apartment building, she heard a soft rustling from nearby and whipped her head around. She readied her body in a defensive position. Pinpointing the source of the noise as the ragged lump by the steps, she let her guard down. A homeless person wasn't cause for worry.

The teen archer was about to enter the building, when a small head poked out from the pile of blankets, and Artemis felt her heart sink. It was a young girl, probably a runaway, strands of matted black hair obscuring her soft Eurasian features. Artemis was reminded of her sister: the sister who had abandoned her six years earlier. She shook away those thoughts and approached the girl.

"What's your name? Are you hungry?" Artemis internally laughed at herself; of course the girl was hungry. Artemis couldn't abandon the girl like Artemis's sister had abandoned her. "Here, I'll take you inside." She reached out a hand, and the girl surveyed it for a moment before clasping her own calloused hands around it. The young girl was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and tattered jeans. Artemis felt bad wearing her neatly pressed school uniform. As Artemis pulled the girl to her feet and into the apartment building, she noticed that the young girl's grip was surprisingly strong.

Artemis frowned pensively as she unlocked the door to her apartment. What could she say to her mom? Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door. As expected, her mom was waiting on the other side to greet Artemis after the long week of school. Artemis hid the girl behind her, but the elder Crock had already noticed that they had a visitor.

"This is my friend from school. She fell in some mud on the way home from school, so she needs to shower. I'll introduce you later," Artemis explained to her mother.

She rushed the girl out of the hallway and into the bathroom, grabbing a towel and some of her old clothes from the closet.

Two hours later, the girl came out of the bathroom looking clean, and Artemis smiled at the little girl in the white tee-shirt and overalls. She was petite and very skinny, with shoulder length black hair and piercing brown eyes. She was probably about 9 or 10 but looked much younger and was definitely at least half Asian. Artemis wondered if the little girl had parents out there somewhere worrying about her.

"Do you have a family?" She asked. "Why did you run away?" She gave the girl her most encouraging smile and waited for an answer.

The girl stared back at Artemis for a moment. And that moment turned into a minute, and one minute turned into ten. Artemis tried to be patient; she knew the questions would bring up unpleasant memories for the girl.

"Artemis, come here this instant," Paula Crock called to her daughter, "By yourself!"

With one last look at the little girl, Artemis hurried down the hall to the kitchen, where her mother sat in her wheelchair. Her eyes were downcast, and she had a disapproving expression on her face. "I know that girl is not your friend from school, Artemis. You know we don't let strangers into our home. Tell me, who is she?"

"I-I don't know," Artemis admitted.

Paula's face paled, her suspicions confirmed. As anger clouded her mother's face, Artemis shook her head. What was wrong with letting a young homeless girl into your home? They weren't well off, but the least they could do was help some girl who had nothing.

"I found her on the streets. She just looked so tired, hungry; I couldn't just leave her there. She's probably a runa—"

Soft footsteps approached from down the hall, and the young girl blinked at them from the doorway. Artemis hadn't expressly told the girl not to follow, but she had thought that her mother specifically asking for just her would be enough to tell the girl to stay put. "Can you go back to my room?" Artemis asked irritably. "I'm having a private conversation with my mom."

The girl stayed where she was and continued to blink back at Artemis. She didn't say a word, and in fact, she hadn't said a word since Artemis had met her. Artemis was beginning to feel a bit frightened of the girl, but that she reminded herself that she was talking about a little girl, a shy little girl who was probably twice as terrified as she was. Then, Artemis had a thought. "Do you even understand English?"

In response, the girl blinked and tilted her head. Artemis was beginning to think she had finally figured it out, but then the young girl shrugged, and Artemis went back to her old theory that the girl was just shy and scared.

Meanwhile, Paula Crock was studying the small, black-haired girl suspiciously. There was something oddly familiar about the girl: her coloring, the eyes, the way she just stood there and silently stared. Suddenly, something clicked in the back of Paula's mind, and her eyes widened. Speechless, she tried not to think about what the arrival of the girl could mean. After what seemed like an eternity, Paula regained the ability to speak, and she turned to her teenaged daughter. "How could you let _her _into our house?"


	2. Chapter 2

Rated T for language.

Author's Note: I decided to change things up and have some thoughts in italics. Feedback would be appreciated. Do you like the added insight or is it distracting? Do the _thoughts_ add to the story or detract?

Stay tuned for my pitiful attempts at lightening the story up before the story descends into darkness. But actually, I tried to do the YJ humor thing, so this will probably be the least serious chapter. Also, there is another flashback to start off the chapter. The flashbacks serve as both a device to connect Artemis and "the girl" and to contrast Artemis's past with her current life. So while it might seem filler-ish, there is a purpose.

I'm thinking about starting a new story based on invasion. Not sure what it would be about yet…

My plan was to wait until after the season finale to post this second chapter. There will be a couple special characters guest-starring in this story, but I won't give away who they are. Congrats to SuzyQ113, shadowcore, and NerdyChick for being the first three to guess the "mystery" character correctly!

NerdyChick- do you have any character they you want to see appear?

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Seven Years Ago:

"I took the bow," Artemis whispered, "Even though my dad said not to."

Cameron's eyebrows shot up his forehead. He was sitting next to Artemis on the cold, concrete steps, and he was the only person who really understood Artemis. Anyone else would have shrugged off her comment, but his eyes shone with genuine concern. "I get that you want to be an archer like your mom, but why you do you always disobey him? Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"Of course I remember." Reflexively, Artemis lightly fingered the yellowing bruise and accompanying scab on her forearm. Cameron grabbed her arm and peered at the wound, causing Artemis to wince in the process. She kicked the taller boy in the shins, and he dropped her arm.

"Sorry! I just wanted to see if it's healing."

Cameron was basically Artemis's older brother, although their relationship was more complicated than that. They were like siblings in that they were as close as Artemis was to her own sister. Their fathers were associates, and when the adults were busy, they left the children to spar, but only Jade actually trained. Whenever they were left alone, Cameron and Artemis preferred to talk.

After ten minutes of watching Artemis sulk, Cameron got bored of waiting and poked the girl sitting next to him with a long stick. "Hey, Artemis," he asked, "Why don't you show me that bow?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Artemis grinned and jumped to her feet. But then she frowned, disappointment evident on her face. "I only took a bow. I couldn't find the quiver."

"Wait…let me get this straight. You took a bow but no arrows?" Cameron chuckled. "Not your brightest idea." He looked at his watch. "We don't have enough time to go into town and buy arrows before our dads get back, but I have an idea. Don't worry."

As Artemis watched, her friend turned frosty blue right before her eyes, and the temperature around the two children dropped several degrees. "Um, Cam, I don't see how icing up will help…" Artemis trailed off, completely confused.

"I've been practicing making things with my ice," the boy explained vaguely. "Watch!"

Ice crystals formed at his fingertips, and he condensed the crystals into ice in the shape of an arrow.

Artemis's jaw dropped. "That's really cool and pretty, but if I use an ice arrow, it'll just shatter," she sighed. "It was a good thought though," she added after seeing Cameron's downcast expression. Taking the ice arrow, she let it drop to the ground, where it shattered it millions of small crystals.

"You know, I bet if we rush, we can get back here before our dads do." Cameron really wanted Artemis to get her arrows. If she was going to get punished for taking the bow without permission, she might as well get the chance to shoot some arrows with it. "I also think that if you don't insist on using a bow and arrow all the time, your dad would let you be an archer," he added, contemplatively.

"You're saying that he's just being mean?" Artemis asked. "I agree."

She smirked, grabbing Cameron's hand and dragging him towards the gate. The gate was secured, and the entire fence was electrified, but near the gate, a small section was warped just enough for a slim youth to pass underneath the fence.

"I would say ladies first, but I should go probably first to make sure the coast is clear. Hey, your mom is busy, right?"

Artemis shrugged, dropping to the ground. "I'm going first." She crawled through the gap, emerging on the other side of the fence, but when she looked up a large shadow loomed above her, a shadow with the broad shoulders and beefy arms of her father.

* * *

><p>Present Day:<p>

Artemis looked at her mom for a moment. Since she her release from jail, she had been extra precautious, bordering on overprotective. She had her reasons though, being a former villain. It took guts to quit that profession, and Artemis had to admire her mom. Prison had changed her, her injury had changed her. Artemis cringed at the thought of the years her mom had been in prison, the years she had lived with her father, alone after her sister had left. But everything had been okay after that. Her mom came back as a changed woman, and even they lived in the slums of Gotham, they were at least together.

It scared her to see her mother, so tough and yet gentle and caring, frightened by a child. The girl was just that, a little girl. She was harmless. But Artemis knew firsthand that not all little girls were harmless. When she was the girl's age... _No, Artemis_, she told herself, _don't dwell on the past_.

"I thought you knew better than to late a stranger into the house, Artemis!"

"She's just a girl! I couldn't leave her out on the streets!" Artemis's eyes shone with disappointment toward her mother. This judgmental attitude was unlike her. Something deeper was happening here.

"You do not understand, Artemis." Paula Crock iterated. The teenager in question huffed and rolled her eyes. _Another lecture_. "I know this girl. I have seen her before when-" Artemis was about to walk away in the middle of the tirade when her mother suddenly cut off. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach, and Artemis whirled around. Paula was slumped over in her wheelchair, and the young girl was standing in front of the chair incriminatingly. The girl flicked her hand, and the light bulbs overhead shattered, littering the carpet with tiny shards of glass and shrouding the room in darkness.

_Of course,_ Artemis thought, _I'm stuck in a low budget horror film_. For her luck, she had probably just let a psycho shapeshifting murderer into her house. As she stared at the girl, her fight/flight response went into hyper drive, but with the fight and flight parts each fighting for control, they effectively canceled each other, and she could only stand in shock. Her only comfort was the steady, if labored, rise and fall of her mother's chest.

So the girl hadn't speaking because it wasn't a girl at all; it was a crazy shapeshifting murderous psychopath that probably had a deep man voice. The ploy of shapeshifting into a young homeless girl had been effective to get Artemis's trust. She wondered why shapeshifters didn't trick people this way all the time, but then again, maybe Artemis was the only hero stupid enough to fall for something like this. Batman would have seen right through it.

Artemis steeled her features, trying to imitate the infamous bat glare. The easiest course of action would be to will her enemy away from her mom. After a few moments, she decided that she wasn't being very intimidating, and she needed to come up with a new strategy. Right now, the archer was in an unfavorable position. Her opponent, a potential metahuman with unknown strength, speed, and abilities, stood between her and her mom in a cramped apartment that was not an ideal location for a battle, especially a long distance fight, Artemis's specialty.

"Who are you and what do you have against me and my mom?" If Artemis could distract her long enough to get her bow and arrows... It would still be an impossible situation. She couldn't shoot arrows with her mom in the line of fire. Her only hope would be to take the fight out of the apartment. Readying herself for the ensuing battle, Artemis got into her hand-to-hand stance. She might not be the best martial artist of all of the sidekicks, but she was no chump.

As protocol for a fight against an unknown assailant, Artemis waited for her opponent to attack first, but when the girl finally did move, she merely stuck her hand out in a halting gesture and shook her head. Artemis took advantage of this lapse in attention, running forward and swiping the ground in a swift kick, followed by a series of jabs, but was met with nothing but air. Were Artemis's moves so predictable that some random opponent could predict all of her moves in advance? _Couldn't be. It must be a shapeshifting telepathic assassin._

Just then, the shapeshifting telepathic assassin began her own counterattack, kicking Artemis's feet out from below her in one fluid motion. Artemis landed on her back with a painful crunch and was pinned by a knee to her stomach. She noted that the girl had the beginnings of a smile on her face, and it looked like she was enjoying herself. _Great,_ Artemis reflected, _she was facing a sadistic shapeshifting telepathic assassin to boot_. The girl raised her palm, curling her fingers expertly. Narrowing her eyes, Artemis analyzed her options, but there was no escaping. The teen archer was one well-placed strike to the jugular away from death.

A few moments later, the shapeshifting telepathic assassin still hadn't struck, and Artemis realized that like any honorable villain, the assassin was giving her time to say her last words. The girl would likely give her own evil villain speech afterward. Artemis wracked her mind for something meaningful that could convince her assassin to spare her, but she could only come up with one thing that seemed appropriate. If Artemis had to guess, she would say that about 99.9% of the time heroes got into this type of situation, they escaped with their lives, but if she also had to guess, she would say that she was in the 0.1% that wouldn't.

"Tell my father to go fuck himself," she spat out through gritted teeth.

The girl shifted her weight, poised to strike and apparently unfazed by Artemis's words. Potentially, the meaning of the words could have gone over the girl's head. Artemis was only about 50% sure that the girl was a shapeshifting telepathic assassin sent by her father to get revenge.

As the fist struck out, Artemis's heart rate increased, and she let unconsciousness take her over. She did not need to be conscious for this.


End file.
